1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to footwear and, more particularly, to an improved sandal having utility both for purposes of pedicure and for walking in general.
2. Prior Art
A sandal-type footwear, has its origin in ancient times, however, today is more commonly used in informal settings, such as the home or beach, to protect an individual""s feet. Further, sandals are used to assist a pedicurist during a pedicure as, for example, is represented in various prior art including U.S. Pat. No. 4,017,987 (1977) to Perez; U.S. Pat. No. 5,870,837 (1993) to Poulos; U.S. Pat. No. 6,226,893 (2001) to Schlamp, et al, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,298,580 (2001) to Tadayan. All such pedicure sandals have, of necessity, certain common features which include a resilient base, a toe-separating structure and some means to assure stability of the ankle relative to the base of the sandal. An objective of all pedicure sandals is to assist the pedicurist in performing the pedicure by inhibiting the toes from touching each other which while, concurrently, simplifying the task of proper application of nail polish to each toe. A further goal of some sandals has also been to enable the individual/client receiving the pedicure to immediately walk or to drive a car with freshly nail polished toes, thus eliminating the need for waiting possibly up to an hour at the salon while the nail polish dries. However, as is well known to individuals who obtain pedicures, even if the polish dries within such a period of about an hour, the polish can still easily scratch should the individual apply put on tight fitting shoes or inadvertently come into contact with another surface before the polish has cured to its final density.
As such, the prior art, as reflected in the above, has attempted to address said problems by providing different types of toe-separating structures to increase the distance between each toe thereby making less difficult the beautician""s task of applying polish to one toe without interfering with the drying process of another toe to which polish has already been applied. A further issue is that the structure of many prior art sandals which seek to address the above problems are not acceptable for use by pedicurist who, generally prefers to employ a special purpose toe separator, readily available at a beauty supply store, or to use the historic method of placing wads of cotton between each toe of the client. Pedicurists also have had reservations relative to the use of pedicure sandals after the polish application process because the client, after completion of the process, must place her foot through a fixed strap and then insert vertical elements of the toe separating structure between the respective polished toes. Therein, any incorrect or deviant movement of the client will cause the nail polish of the completed toes to be affected. As such, the need for a pedicure sandal which is acceptable to the pedicurist, and which is functional to the client wishing to leave the salon prior to an hour after the polish has been applied or wishes to wear regular shoes before the polish is totally cured. Accordingly, the instant invention responds to the long felt need for a pedicure sandal more responsive to the needs and requirements of the pedicurist as well as the client.
It has also been the case that, apart from the above set forth needs stressed by the prior art, no conscious effort has apparently even been made in this area to provide an ergonomic sandal, i.e., one which not only addresses the above pedicure requirements but, as well, takes into consideration certain physiologic requirements of the human foot for purposes of walking, this including among other factors, the stability of the ankle relative to the base of the sandal itself.
The inventive pedicure sandal employs a base formed of a resilient elastomeric material, said base inclusive of a cushioned upper surface thereof, a toe-separating structure, and a bottom surface for providing ground and floor resistance against slippage. The within sandal more particularly comprises an outer perimeter of said base generally shaped to accommodate a human foot, in which the perimeter thereof includes a bulge at an anterior lateral region thereof which is adjacent to the lateral-most or small toe of the foot of a user. Said toe-separating structure comprises three flexible elastomeric vertical substantially T-shaped posts, each of which comprise (i) a plug-like bottom end for engagement with said bottom surface of the sandal, (ii) a toe-separating elongate neck, integral with said bottom end of each post, and proportioned for engagement with vertical toe-positioning channels within said sandal base, and (iii) a flat upper surface, integral to said neck, having a primary axis substantially transverse to a directionality of separations between adjacent pair of toes that each respective elongate neck separates from each other. Said axis exhibits a length sufficient to more than a bridge said separation between pairs of toes. At a portion of said neck, integral with said flat upper surface of each post, there is defined a transition zone between each respective upper surface and said neck which, in vertical cross-section, defines a mushroom-like geometry comprising opposing symmetric curves as said geometry approaches said upper surface to thereby increase said toe separation substantially beyond that of a horizontal width of each neck of each post. Said transition zone also substantially envelops the dorsal side of each toe to thereby increase toe stability within the toe-separating structure. Said toe separation structure also defines what has been determined to be an ergonomic relationship between the positioning of the three smallest toes relative to the two largest toes, taken both alone and in combination with the position of strap means for securement of the foot relative to the base of the sandal.
It is accordingly an object of the invention to provide a pedicure sandal having improved utility both for purposes of pedicure within a salon and for purposes of use in an ordinary and conventional manner outside of the salon.
It is another object to provide a sandal of the above type to provide enhanced comfort and stabilization of the toes and foot relative to the base of the sandal.
It is a still further object of the invention to provide a pedicure sandal of the above type, while providing sufficient separation between the toes of the user to satisfy traditional concerns of the pedicurist relative to inadvertent scratching of the polish from a completed toenail before the polish thereof has fully cured.
It is a still further object to provide a pedicure sandal of the above type that may be cost-effectively manufactured using, as the initial piece in a production process, a conventional shower or beach sandal (also known as a flip flop).
The above and yet other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the hereinafter set forth Brief Description of the Drawings and Detailed Description of the Invention.